The present invention relates generally to automotive accessories and more particularly to attachments for vehicle sunroofs. In recent years, there has been a continuing demand for sunroofs in automotive vehicles, with automobiles of all sorts and even trucks being equipped with sunroofs.
The perceived advantage of sunroofs include the ability to provide an open top vehicle without sacrifice of structural rigidity, the general open air feeling which results from such a construction and in particular, the ability of the vehicle, when the sunroof is closed, to provide a relatively weather-tight, low noise environment equal to that provided in the absence of the sunroof. In this connection, all or almost all of the sunroofs of modern vehicles are of the rigid or all metal exterior type sunroofs, even though sunroofs with flexible components are also known to the industry.
One of the disadvantages of a sunroof, however, is that wind turbulence in the vicinity of the leading edge of the opening, and the general geometry of the opening, which must be congruent with the shape of the vehicle roof, inherently creates some problems of noise and turbulence. Accordingly, in recent years, a number of vehicles with sunroofs have added, as an accessory to the vehicle, what is termed a sunroof air deflector. This unit acts much in the manner of the vehicle windshield in a conventional automobile or motorcycle, and generally resembles such a windshield except that its proportions and shapes are somewhat different.
The typical sunroof air deflector has a support edge portion which usually extends transversely of the major part of the vehicle roof and terminates in laterally outside or wing portions that are swept out and back, extending roughly parallel to the sides of the automobile. The trailing edge of the deflector is a free edge that includes a center portion which extends transversely to the movement axis of the vehicle and is generally horizontal in the normal position of the vehicle, with the trailing edge also having downturned end portions that meet the wings of the support edges adjacent their outer ends.
Customarily, such sunroof air deflectors are made from a plastic material which is stiff but resilient, such as from an acrylic or other thermoplastic material. Sunroof air deflectors may be made from other materials, including different plastics, metal, or the like, although the acrylic plastics are presently preferred for a number of reasons.
The manner of securing a sunroof air deflector to a vehicle roof has also been the subject of research and development. Because of the loading created by rapid vehicle movement, the deflector should be secured tightly to the vehicle roof. However, permanent installation steps such as bolting or screwing the deflector through the vehicle roof have obvious disadvantages. Customarily, a mounting unit in the form of a grooved rubber or rubber like gasket is positioned between the vehicle body and the deflector, with the groove in the gasket being glued or otherwise tightly secured to the leading edge margin of the above-described deflector. In some prior art applications, the downwardly directed surface of the gasket contacts and is secured to the vehicle roof by a pressure sensitive adhesive that either forms a part of the gasket or is installed as a separate component between the gasket and the deflector.
Problems arise with such adhesive mountings, however. Thus, assuming that the adhesives are sufficiently strong to ensure that there will be no undesired separation of the deflector from the vehicle roof, a risk of damage to the finish of the car is created. Naturally, attempts to repeatedly remove the deflector shield for washing or maintenance compromises the effectiveness of the adhesive or requires new adhesive to be used. In addition, the forces needed to hold down all portions of a deflector shield with complex contour in its contact surface are sometimes quite high. Proper load distribution is sometimes difficult to achieve. Accordingly, attempts to utilize gasket adhesion as a method of retaining the deflector in place have not afforded all the advantages desired for a desirable deflector.
In view of these circumstances, and the general configuration of the deflector, various other fastening means have been considered. However, the structures of such prior auxiliary hold-down or clamping devices have not always been satisfactory. A particular difficulty with sunroof deflectors that are sold into the so-called automotive aftermarket is the wide variety of styles of sunroofs as well as the great variety in the size and types of vehicle in which the sunroofs are installed. Thus, some sunroofs are factory installed on a number of different car models. Still other sunroofs are dealer-installed, and another significant sources of sunroof installation are those of specialists or other contractors who cut the openings and do the metal forming and other operations required to install the sunroof. In each of these different situations, the style, size and shape of the opening may be different, even for the same vehicle make, model and year of manufacture.
Thus, in view of the wide variety of vehicles that include sunroofs, and the variety in the size of openings in such vehicles, the problem of providing a hold-down that is sized appropriately can create serious problems for the sunroof retailer or other supplier. If a different model or size of deflector unit is required for each application, bearing in mind the great range of widths in automobiles and the variety and widths of sunroof openings relative to the overall width of the vehicle roof, and the number and kind of sunroof installations, the number of different sizes or styles of deflector that would be needed to be reasonably sure of providing a proper fit for many popular vehicles would be prohibitively large.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a sunroof air deflector, which, within limits, is capable of universal application.
It is another object of this invention is to provide a sunroof arrangement wherein a pair of pockets or the like with removable covers are disposed within a deflector for inconspicuously accommodating an adjustable hold-down fastener or the like.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a hold-down arrangement for a sunroof air deflector wherein a single slot having a wide center portion and a reduced width portion on each end may be adapted for providing a universal type sunroof air deflector that would appear to have a custom appearance when viewed from outside.
A further object of the invention is to provide a sunroof air deflector when the adjustment mechanism is essentially concealed from view.
Another object of the invention is to provide a sunroof air deflector that can be mounted securely without adhesives, clips, or requiring drilling operations for its installation.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a sunroof air deflector wherein the hold-down mechanism includes important parts that are integrally formed as a portion of the shield, or which may be formed separately and inserted into the shield in a separate operation.
A further objection of the invention is to provide a sunroof air deflector which is made from material which is thin enough to be formed into complex shapes in order to provide a pair of fastener receiving pockets and yet is contoured so as to be stiff enough to resist deflection and instability in use.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple, low cost hold-down system for a vehicle sunroof wherein a portion of the fastening system includes a resilient metal portion adapted to compensate for diminished downforce resulting from cold flow or creep in the plastic body of the sunroof deflector.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a sunroof air deflector hold-down system which is adapted to register with and be effective with a variety of widths, whereby three to five different model numbers will accommodate virtually the entire spectrum of vehicles having sunroofs, regardless of size or age.
Another object of the invention is to provide an inconspicuous, universal type hold-down system that presents a quality image.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a deflector shield hold-down of a type which will create little if any wind noise and which is comparatively weatherproof in use.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved in practice by providing a sunroof air deflector having a mounting edge portion comprising a leading edge and a pair of backswept side edges, and a trailing edge having a central portion extending transversely of the vehicle movement axis and having end portions meeting the side edge portions of the deflector, with the unit further including a pair of opposed pockets, each having an elongated slot for a fastener, a hook and spring arrangement positionable and adjustable by a suitable fastener, and a snap-in type pocket cover having its upper surface adapted in use to lie substantially flush with the upper, outer surface of the deflector unit.
The manner in which the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved in practice will become more clearly apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention set forth by way of example and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate corresponding parts throughout.